Opinion: Sound Off, Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I see a lot of comments in Sound Off about getting career politicians out of Washington. I think the same should apply to local governments as well. I think a lot of problems cities are facing around the country wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t have entrenched career politicians running everything.

TURN OFF THE TUBE

I have friends and neighbors complaining about their cable TV service, and over the weekend I saw someone Sound Off about it. How about this solution? Turn off the TV and cancel your subscription. Times are tough and there are a lot of volunteer opportunities out there. Why not try that as a pastime?

SECURE LOOSE PETS

Can people please stop keeping small dogs in their laps while in a car? It’s not safe for any party involved. There are harnesses and other devices out there to secure small animals. You wouldn’t do it with a child; please don’t do it with your pet.

FOREIGN FIRST

I see that we’re back to sending out foreign aid while social programs here at home are being cut. I’m glad that all the priorities are in line down in Washington.

RICKERS HAS MY VOTE

Kudos to Tom Rickers of Ridley Park for speaking up against the Ridley School District school board. I think he should run for president of the board; I know a lot of people who would vote for him.

LEFT IS FOR PASSING

Can everyone driving on interstate highways please remember that the left lane is for passing, not for sightseeing?

TRAFFIC LIGHTS LOST IN THE MIX

I agree with the callers saying a lot of traffic lights in the county need to be updated. This past weekend I was stuck sitting still at a couple green lights probably not due to driver neglect but because the lights were so beat up the driver at the front couldn’t see that they had turned green. This happens on some big roadways, too. There’s a lot of talk about these major transportation issues, but it seems something as basic and fundamental as functional traffic lights get lost in the mix.

CONCERNED MOTORIST

SOME CAN’T BE PLEASED

I think some of my fellow callers should get together and form a new political party - the I’m Never Happy Party.

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

FACIAL HAIR PENALTY

Eli Manning has the worst mustache in the history of mustaches.

MR. MUSTACHE

COMPENSATE RETIRED PLAYERS

To the caller complaining about retired NFL players suing because of their injuries, if I was in their shoes I’d do the same thing. In decades past players didn’t make the kind of money they do now, and the NFL spent years ignoring the mounting evidence about the seriousness of concussions. I definitely think they should be compensated.

HEALTH TRUMPS DEATH

Shouldn’t we get some answers from the Senate investigations into Benghazi and the Fast and Furious operation before they do one on the Obamacare website problems? I guess the functionality of that website is more important to the government than instances where Americans were killed.

GOP CAN’T COMPLAIN

Can Republicans really be upset about the Obamacare website when they refused to allocate funds to test it?

JUST SAYIN’

INSTITUTE iPAD TRAINING

As a parent of a student in the Ridley School District I was on the fence about supporting the purchase of iPads, but after seeing how much they’re used in the classroom and for homework I think that it has been a good decision. My only issue is that classroom aides have not received training with them, making it difficult for them to help students having trouble with the devices. I think this is something the district should do.

NO HELP WITH ‘FILTH’

When I saw the “Living in

Filth” headline last week I thought the story was about my apartment complex. My landlord rented to some filthy people causing us to be overrun with roaches, then told us the exterminator would be here in about four weeks. That’s the world we’re in now – take care of a problem yourself or forget about it.

GRASS ISN’T SO GREEN

My friend makes $80,000 per year with a high school diploma. Her husband makes nearly $100,000 per year and dropped out of high school. Something doesn’t seem right when I hear her complain about how bad they have it.

ASTON

ALL ABOARD

To “Taken For A Ride,” you sound like a typical Republican who doesn’t want to pay for any kind of improvements anywhere. As someone who rides trains every day, I see the need for improvements in our train infrastructure all over the place. Yes they do need improvements, and no, it’s not hype.

KANE IS ABLE

To “Just Wondering,” the Attorney General is enforcing the law. The Attorney General is just not representing the state in a court battle over the law because she doesn’t believe in it. That doesn’t mean she’s not enforcing it.